Harlan,
Edgar Rubey. A Narrative History of the People of Iowa.
Vol III. Chicago: American Historical Society, 1931 pps. 361-362

For sixty-four years the
Sisters of Mercy in Iowa have given practical humanitarian and altruistic
service to their fellow men in the school, in the hospital, in the sanitarium,
in the home for the aged, in the home for the working girl,- the expansion of
their work during these years being proof beyond question of its value.
Origin of the Sisters of Mercy: In the early part of
the nineteenth century there lived in Dublin, Ireland, Catherine McAuley, a
cultured young woman of an old and distinguished family who, possessed of a
large fortune and impelled by the distress and need of the poor of her native
country, decided to devote this entire fortune to the relief and care of
orphans, destitute women and poor schools. The first building erected for this
cause was dedicated September 24, 1827. Soon many young women joined Miss
McAuley to assist in her noble work, that in a few short years her house was
changed from a secular to a religious institution. On December 12, 1831, the new
institute was confirmed as the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy. Following
this mark of stability, members rapidly increased, similar institutions
multiplied, not only in Ireland, but expanded in less than fifteen years to
England and the United States.
Sisters of Mercy in the United States: The first
foundation of the Sisters of Mercy in the United States was made at Pittsburgh,
in 1843, through the appeal made by the Rt. Rev. M. O'Connor to the Sisters
while visiting at their convent in Carlow, Ireland. He explained the great need
for carrying out the works of mercy in his diocese of Pittsburgh, and in
response to this appeal seven Sisters volunteered to return with him.
It is recorded in the annals of the Order that when
they arrived in New York, the first person to meet them was the Rt. Rev. William
Quarter, bishop-elect of Chicago. He, too, needed Sisters to work in the far
West, but the most he could obtain at that time was a promise that the Sisters
would come as soon as possible, which promise was fulfilled when five Sisters
arrived in Chicago, in 1846. This was the beginning of St. Xavier's, Chicago.
Civil War Volunteers: Although the Chicago community
was only in its early development at the outbreak of the Civil war, yet the
patriotic zeal of its constituents enabled it to spare eight members to serve
their country's cause by ministering to the sick and wounded. It is of interest
to note that two of this band of nurses were Mother Mary Borromeo Johnson and
Mother Mary Francis Monholland, who later came as charity workers to Iowa.
The annals record that in September, 1861, these eight
Sisters left Chicago in company with the military officer who had been sent to
conduct them. They set out by way of St. Louis for Lexington, Missouri, a place
they failed to reach. After many delays and thrilling incidents they arrived at
Jefferson City. Immediately on their arrival they were requested to take charge
of the City Hospital, which was crowded with sick and wounded soldiers. They
remained there until April, 1862, when, the division being ordered elsewhere,
their services were no longer needed. At Saint Louis, on their way home, they
were met by a sanitary commissioner who asked them to take charge of the
hospital department on the steamboat Empress, which was carrying wounded
soldiers from the battlefield of Shiloh. One one of its trips up the Mississippi
the Empress reached Keokuk, Iowa, April 16, 1862. It required two days to remove
the sick and wounded soldiers to the hospital. The Sisters did everything
possible to relieve the suffering of their patients during the five weeks they
spent on their floating hospital.

Sisters of Mercy come
to Iowa: Following the close of the Civil war, in 1867 Mother Mary Borromeo
Johnson and four Sister companions from Saint Xavier Academy, Chicago, opened a
school in the little town of DeWitt. Shortly afterwards doctors from Davenport
asked for Sisters to open a hospital. In response to this invitation Mercy
Hospital was opened in 1868. In 1869 a school and academy were opened in
Independence by Mother Mary Francis Monholland and her cultured and experienced
Sisters. Davenport having the most desirable location, Mercy Hospital was made
the first Motherhouse of the Sisters of Mercy in Iwoa, and Mother Mary Borromeo
Johnson was chosen Mother Superior. From this house as a center, all the other
houses in Iowa, with one exception, (Council Bluffs), have been either directly
or indirectly founded.
Development in Iowa: Mercy Hospital, Davenport, filled
an urgent need in the pioneer community and its growth was rapid. From the first
day to the present the work has gone ahead; addition after addition has been
erected; the latest is the new $500,000 building now under construction. Today
Mercy Hospital, together with its departments for nervous and mentally afflicted
men and women, ranks s one of the best equipped institutions in the country.
From this institution foundations have been sent to
Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Des Moines, and Marshalltown. In later years
the labors of the Davenport Sisters of Mercy have been extended to a Young
Women's Home in Davenport and schools in Davenport, Burlington, West Burlington,
Mount Pleasant, Manilla and Rockwell City.
In 1875 seven Sisters from the Motherhouse in Davenport
opened the Convent of Our Lady of Mercy and Saint Joseph's School in Cedar
Rapids. After some years this Motherhouse was transferred to Sacred Heart
Academy, located in the outskirts of the city. This community has been devoted
almost entirely to the work of education. At present these Sisters conduct three
hospitals, a junior college, an academy, numerous schools throughout the state
and at Marion a seminary for boys, a model of its kind.
In 1879, at the urgent solicitation of the Rt. Rev.
John Hennessy, five Sisters from Davenport arrived in Dubuque on January 13 to
found a hospital. This was the beginning of Saint Joseph's Mercy Hospital.
Notwithstanding hardships and limited funds, the Sisters, with the cooperation
of citizens interested in a great work of mercy, made the establishment a
notable success. It became a Motherhouse in 1882.
The needs of the time made expansion along other lines
necessary. As a result Saint Anthony's Home for the Aged was opened in 1887, and
also Saint Joseph's Sanitarium. This latter institution is today one of the best
equipped and most popular of its kind in the state.
Besides institutions conducted in Dubuque by the
Sisters of Mercy, they have hospitals in Sioux City, Clinton, Mason City, Fort
Dodge, Waverly and Cresco; schools at Eagle Center, Bankston, Ackley and
Independence.
In 1887 the Sisters of Mercy from Minnesota opened
Saint Bernard's as a Motherhouse and hospital in Council Bluffs. In 1902 Mercy
Hospital was erected. Other institutions conducted by these Sisters include an
academy, a seminary for boys, several schools, a home for working girls, a home
for the aged and three hospitals in Iowa.

Summary of Institutions
Developed and Conducted by the Sisters of Mercy in Iowa from 1867-1931: The
period from 1867 to 1931 has been an era of rapid and unprecedented growth in
schools, hospitals, sanitariums, homes for the aged, homes for working girls,
and training schools for nurses. The first school record of the Sisters of Mercy
in Iowa in 1867 shows an attendance of forty pupils. In 1930 the grand total of
all pupils in thirty parochial schools, two academies, two seminaries for boys
and a junior college exceeded 5,000. The first hospital record shows that during
the first year of hospital service in 1868, seventy-six patients received care
and treatment. The 1930 records show that 30,580 patients were cared for. The
total number of patients treated in their sanitariums for 1930 reached 3290;
total number of homes for aged, 225; total number of Young Women's Boarding
Homes, 200; and total number in training schools for nurses, 750. The original
band of Sisters who came to Iowa in 1867 numbered only five; today there are 550
Sisters of Mercy in Iowa. Their great mission of mercy has extended beyond the
borders of the state to Michigan and Montana.
A New Era: On August 25, 1928, the Sisters of Mercy
from all parts of the United States, having realized the advantages of united
effort, held a general chapter, or convention, at Cincinnati, Ohio, for the
purpose of forming a strong, well-organized, unified body. As a result, a union
of the majority of the communities, with a total membership exceeding 5,000
which had heretofore been working independently, was effected. The vast
territory which is covered by this great united body was divided into provinces,
each under a Mother Provincial and all subject to a Mother General, who, with
her council, is located at the General Motherhouse, Washington, D.C.
Mount St. Agnes: One outcome of this reorganization of
communities of interest to Iowa is that of Mount Saint Agnes, Dubuque, became
the Novitiate for the Province of Cincinnati, Ohio. In this imposing structure,
with its beautiful Romanesque chapel, its extensive grounds, and location of
great natural beauty, more than eighty-three Novices at the present time are
receiving preparation that will fit them to continue efficiently and
successfully the work inaugurated by their foundress and carried on so
magnificently by their predecessors for the space of a hundred years.

MERCY HOSPITAL WHERE SCIENCE
PROTECTS LIFE
OPENED BY CHICAGO SISTERS IN 1869, IT HAS GROWN IN POWER THRUOUT THE YEARS

Mercy Hospital,
founded in 1869, is the pioneer institution of its kind in this section of the
country. At the time of its opening, 55 years ago, it was the only institution
outside of a hospital at St. Louis, west of the Mississippi river.
Prior to 1869 the only public relief for the sick and injured
was transferred to the Poor Farm, four miles out in the country in an open
wagon.
The pauper charges of Scott county and the insane of the
community were crowded together, and conditions were deplorable. The officials,
and especially the Scott County Board of Supervisors, were intensely interested
in the adoption of plans for the betterment of existing conditions. Several
plans had been offered and had later been rejected.

Appeal to Sisters.
One evening in September, 1869, while G.H. Watkins, county
overseer of the poor, was attempting to formulate a better system for the care
of indigent insane and other charges of the county, he decided to appeal to the
Catholics.
Calling upon J. McMonomy, Mr. Watkins explained the plans and
asked if there was not a possibility of persuading the Sisters of Mercy of
Chicago to establish a hospital in Davenport.
A meeting was held at St. Anthony's church and the matter was
given further consideration, in the minutes of the board of supervisors of
October 13, 1869, the following words are recorded:
"Mr. Watkins on the Committee of the Poor reports that
the Sisters of Mercy are willing to open an institution and include in their
plans the care of the poor and insane of Scott County; the general purpose of
the institution to include the care of every class of suffering and sick except
contagion."

Building Provided.
Negotiations between the county officials and the Sisters of
Mercy of Chicago provided that suitable facilities for the establishment of a
hospital should be provided. At that time a Sisters' Academy was located at the
west edge of the city, on the site now occupied by Mercy Hospital. This building
had been erected 14 years previous to 1869. It was now vacant and in sad need of
repairs.
The Board secured permission to convert the building into a
hospital, providing that it should be used for no other purpose than the care of
the sick. Before establishing the hospital the Sisters insisted that at least 10
patients be secured and a loan of $2,000 be secured from Scott county.

Hospital Opened.
The necessary pledges were forthcoming and in November, six
Sisters of Mercy from Chicago arrived in Davenport and assumed charge of the
work of renovating and overhauling the building preparatory to he opening of the
hospital proper. This was soon accomplished and on December 8, the doors were
opened to admit the first patients.
Active in the establishment of the hospital were Dr. Peck,
who had served as an army surgeon during the Civil war; Miss Fejervary; Mrs.
Mitchell; Rev. Father Palamoges, and numerous others who gave liberally not only
of their money but of their time as well. Rev. Mother Borromeo was the first
Mother Superior in charge of the hospital. She passed away several years ago,
and here remains repose beneath a memorial in the rear of the present Mercy
hospital.
The first candidate to join the band of Sisters was
Sister Mary Catherine, who is still living at the hospital and is active despite
her years of unrequited toil among the sick and the needy of the community.

First Year's Work.
During the first year of its existence, Mercy hospital cared
for 76 patients, both general and insane. When the hospital was first opened, a
medical board was formed by the foundress, Reverend Mother Borromeo, assisted by
Dr. Peck. Dr. O.C. Rundy was elected president and Dr. C.S. Maxwell, secretary.
Drs. Maxwell and Greggs comprised the consulting board. The following were
members of the attending board: Drs. W.F. Peck, G. Hoekfner, J. McCourtney, W.A.
Hasford ,W.D. Middleton, and D.C. Roundy, and Henry Braunlich who was for five
years a member of the board and is still active in the work of the hospital.
Immediately after the organization of the hospital the
private hospital operated by Drs. Henry and Carl Matthey and others, closed its
doors and turned their effects to the Sisters.

Cholera Epidemic.
In September, 1877, cholera swept down on the little city of
Davenport like a fog in the night, snuffing out the lives of hundreds of human
beings.
The board of health was hastily reorganized and public
measures adopted to combat the plague, Judge James Grant came to the rescue of
the stricken city and secured rooms for an emergency hospital. In less than five
hours after the opening, the hastily improvised hospital was filled with
patients. But who was there for care for them, to minister to their needs?
Unannounced by the blare of trumpets, at this crisis in the
history of the struggling city two Sisters appeared at the improvised hospital
and offered their services.
The Sisters remained in charge during the epidemic
ministering to the wants of sufferers, cheering them, soothing fevered brows,
and receiving the last messages to those who were about to pass into the Great
Beyond.

Growth of the Hospital.
Mercy hospital filled an urgent need in this pioneer
community, and its growth was rapid. Before the first year was at an end
additional quarters were necessary, and additions were built. From that day to
this the work has gone ahead; addition after addition has been erected, new
buildings planned and constructed until today the hospital ranks as one of the
best equipped in the country.
Accommodations are provided for approximately 200 patients in
the main hospital and for 200 in the buildings for the mentally afflicted.
The 76 general and mental patients of 1869 have increased to
4500 in 1923.
The Nurses' Home which was erected in 1919, is a model
building, accommodating 90 nurses.

Other Foundations.
From the local institution foundations have been sent out to
Iowa City, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Marshalltown. In addition to
this work, the task of teaching others to carry on the work has been maintained
both here and elsewhere. In every emergency, whether of county or community-
during the Civil war, during the World war, in the cholera and the influenza
epidemics- Mercy hospital has hurried to the call of duty and humanity.
Mercy hospital is situated in the northwest part of the city,
just within the corporate limits. The building fronts on Lombard street, while
the spacious ground look out upon the rich farm lands and the scenic beauty of
the Mississippi bluffs. The site is not surpassed in point of beauty and
healthfulness. Apart from the noise of the city and yet partaking of all its
advantages, the location is ideal for hospital purposes.
The hospital embraces the most improved features of hospital
construction and equipment, and furnishes the best facilities for the care of
the sick.
On the first floor are located the hospital offices,
laboratories, pharmacy, rooms for resident physicians, medical library, record
room, operating and Doctors' consulting rooms.
The second, third and fourth floors are devoted mainly to
private rooms. Each floor, however, has four private wards, an auxiliary
pharmacy, diet kitchen, and a linen room aiding toward greater efficiency and
comfortable service.
There are four operating rooms each with its own equipment
for general surgery. Special operating rooms with special equipment are devoted
to eye, ear, nose, throat and genito-urinary surgery. Convenient to each
operating room are two surgical dressing rooms, instrument supply rooms and
complete modern sterilizing apparatus.
The Laboratories occupy eight rooms in the south of the first
floor. The equipment is the latest and best that can be obtained.
The Pharmacy is located on the first floor. It is well
stocked with all chemicals and pharmaceutical preparations that may be of
service in a large hospital. A Sister who is a Registered Pharmacist devotes her
time to the work of this department.
On each floor there are auxiliary medicine rooms supplied
with all the necessities for routine and emergency needs.
The Obstetrical Department to which the entire new wing of
the fourth floor is given is well equipped for efficient service in this special
branch of work.
In the Dietetic Department are prepared diets for the various
conditions of health and disease.

Training School for Nurses.
Mercy Hospital School for Nurses was established in 1895.
Since that time 240 nurses have received diplomas. Graduates
are in great demand and many of them are holding responsible positions as
Hospital and Training School Superintendents, Surgical Nurses, Visiting, Public
Health and Social Service Nurses thruout the United States.
The course of lectures is thorough, comprising all subjects,
medical, surgical, obstetrical, nervous and infectious, needed to complete a
nurses training.
The Training School is accredited by the State.

Religion.
The Training School is non-sectarian. There is no
interference with the religious convictions of the student. The school is
conducted by the Sisters of Mercy, hence it is Catholic in its purpose and
atmosphere. The Nurses, pupil and graduate, enjoy the blessing of an annual
triduum- a pleasure looked forward to and a source of much spiritual good.
Catholic Nurses are to hear Mass in the Hospital Chapel on Sundays and holy
days; it is the custom to receive Holy Communion on Sundays and on the first
Friday of every month.
Officers of Mercy Hospital are Rev. Mother Mary Gertrude,
directress; Sister Mary De Pazzi, superintendent of the hospital; Sister Mary
Loretto, superintendent of the nurses school.
Officers of the Hospital Staff are Dr. A.B. Kuhl, president;
Dr. B. Schmidt, secretary; Dr. R.R. Kulp, treasurer.
The executive committee is composed of Dr. F. Neufeld, Dr.
W.E. Foley, Dr. L. Kornder, Dr. O.A. Dahms, Dr. O.R. Voss.